1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to friction stir welding. More specifically, the present invention addresses improvements in the ability to perform friction stir welding of pipe or other arcuate objects, wherein a mandrel is needed to provide a counter-balancing force against the inside of the arcuate surface being welded, to thereby prevent a friction stir welding tool in contact with the outside of the arcuate surface from damaging the workpiece being welded.
2. Description of Related Art
Friction stir welding (hereinafter “FSW”) is a technology that has been developed for welding metals and metal alloys. The FSW process often involves engaging the material of two adjoining workpieces on either side of a joint by a rotating stir pin or spindle. Force is exerted to urge the spindle and the workpieces together and frictional heating caused by the interaction between the spindle and the workpieces results in plasticization of the material on either side of the joint. The spindle is traversed along the joint, plasticizing material as it advances, and the plasticized material left in the wake of the advancing spindle cools to form a weld.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tool being used for friction stir welding that is characterized by a generally cylindrical tool 10 having a shoulder 12 and a pin 14 extending outward from the shoulder. The pin 14 is rotated against a workpiece 16 until sufficient heat is generated, at which point the pin of the tool is plunged into the plasticized workpiece material. The workpiece 16 is often two sheets or plates of material that are butted together at a joint line 18. The pin 14 is plunged into the workpiece 16 at the joint line 18.
The frictional heat caused by rotational motion of the pin 14 against the workpiece material 16 causes the workpiece material to soften without reaching a melting point. The tool 10 is moved transversely along the joint line 18, thereby creating a weld as the plasticized material flows around the pin from a leading edge to a trailing edge. The result is a solid phase bond 20 at the joint line 18 that may be generally indistinguishable from the workpiece material 16 itself, in comparison to other welds.
It is observed that when the shoulder 12 contacts the surface of the workpieces, its rotation creates additional frictional heat that plasticizes a larger cylindrical column of material around the inserted pin 14. The shoulder 12 provides a forging force that contains the upward metal flow caused by the tool pin 14.
During FSW, the area to be welded and the tool are moved relative to each other such that the tool traverses a desired length of the weld joint. The rotating FSW tool provides a continual hot working action, plasticizing metal within a narrow zone as it moves transversely along the base metal, while transporting metal from the leading face of the pin to its trailing edge. As the weld zone cools, there is typically no solidification as no liquid is created as the tool passes. It is often the case, but not always, that the resulting weld is a defect-free, recrystallized, fine grain microstructure formed in the area of the weld.
Previous patent documents have taught the benefits of being able to perform friction stir welding with materials that were previously considered to be functionally unweldable. Some of these materials are non-fusion weldable, or just difficult to weld at all. These materials include, for example, metal matrix composites, ferrous alloys such as steel and stainless steel, and non-ferrous materials. Another class of materials that were also able to take advantage of friction stir welding is the superalloys. Superalloys can be materials having a higher melting temperature bronze or aluminum, and may have other elements mixed in as well. Some examples of superalloys are nickel, iron-nickel, and cobalt-based alloys generally used at temperatures above 1000 degrees F. Additional elements commonly found in superalloys include, but are not limited to, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum, titanium, niobium, tantalum, and rhenium.
It is noted that titanium is also a desirable material to friction stir weld. Titanium is a non-ferrous material, but has a higher melting point than other nonferrous materials.
The previous patents teach that a tool is needed that is formed using a material that has a higher melting temperature than the material being friction stir welded. In some embodiments, a superabrasive was used in the tool.
The embodiments of the present invention are generally concerned with these functionally unweldable materials, as well as the superalloys, and are hereinafter referred to as “high melting temperature” materials throughout this document.
Recent advancements in friction stir welding (FSW) technologies have resulted in tools that can be used to join high melting temperature materials such as steel and stainless steel together during the solid state joining processes of friction stir welding.
As explained previously, this technology involves using a special friction stir welding tool. FIG. 2 shows a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tip 30, a locking collar 32, a thermocouple set screw 34 to prevent movement, and a shank 36. Other designs of this tool are also shown in the prior art of the inventors, and include monolithic tools and other designs.
When this special friction stir welding tool is used, it is effective at friction stir welding of various materials. This tool design is also effective when using a variety of tool tip materials besides PCBN and PCD (polycrystalline diamond). Some of these materials include refractories such as tungsten, rhenium, iridium, titanium, molybdenum, etc.
The inventors have been the leader in developing friction stir welding technology for use with high melting temperature alloys such as steel, stainless steel, nickel base alloys, and many other alloys. This technology often requires the use of a Polycrystalline cubic boron nitride tool, a liquid cooled tool holder, a temperature acquisition system, and the proper equipment to have a controlled friction stir welding process.
Once the technology had been established (current literature indicates the state of the technology) as a superior method for joining these materials, MegaDiamond and Advanced Metal Products (working together as MegaStir Technologies) began searching for applications that would greatly benefit from this technology. One of the largest applications for friction stir welding (FSW) is joining pipe lines. Joining pipe line is extremely costly because of the manpower and equipment needed to weld and move needed components. FIG. 3 shows the manpower and equipment needed to fusion weld a typical pipeline. The pipe 40 is shown with a plurality of welding stations 42 (each of the white enclosures) that are needed to lay down progressive layers of welding wire to create a fusion welded joint between segments of pipe.
Advanced high strength steels (AHSS) are being implemented into pipe lines because less material is needed, higher strength properties are obtained and the total pipeline cost can be lower. The difficulty with AHSS lies in the conventional fusion welding methods being used. It is accepted in the industry that every pipe line joint contains a defect or crack. These defects are accepted because they cannot be eliminated even with sophisticated automated fusion welding systems. Welding AHSS is far more difficult than existing pipe line steels because the material composition inherently causes more fusion welding defects.
FSW has now been established as a viable technology to join pipe segments. A friction stir welding machine 50 to join pipe segments has been developed as shown in FIG. 4. A rotating tool plunges into a joint as it creates frictional heat. Once the tool has plunged into the workpiece cross section, the tool is caused to travel circumferentially around the pipes while the joint is “stirred” together. The FSW tool is then retracted and the machine 50 is moved along the pipe to the next pipe joint to be friction stir welded.
The friction stir welding machine 50 shown in FIG. 4 illustrates the machine that operates on the exterior of the pipe being welded. One of the requirements of FSW in any form is to have a counter-balancing force on the back side (opposite the tool) of the workpiece being joined. This need arises from the large forces that are applied by the tool against the workpiece. The nature of friction stir welding requires that some support be provided to prevent the workpiece from bending or otherwise being damaged. FIG. 5 shows the current design of a rotating mandrel 60 or “pipe pig” that is currently being used when a friction stir welding pipe.
The mandrel 60 is hydraulically actuated to follow the tool path on the inside of the pipe as the tool follows circumferentially around the pipe joint on the exterior. When the pipe joint is complete, the mandrel 60 is reconfigured so that it can be moved to the next pipe joint. While this mandrel 60 is an effective means to provide support on the opposite side of the tool, the hydraulics and controls are expensive and the construction of the pipe is therefore also costly. A mandrel 60 for FSW of a 12 inch pipe diameter using this design also weighs about 800 lb. This means that moving the mandrel requires additional equipment and support. A further disadvantage is that this mandrel configuration must also have additional hydraulics and rams added to align two pipe segments, further adding to the weight of the mandrel 60. While this design is workable in the field, it would be preferable to have a lighter weight and lower cost mandrel design that can add to the speed and reduce the cost of FSW of a pipeline.
Accordingly, what is needed is a less expensive, less complex, and lightweight pipe pig that can be more easily deployed on-site.